I came close at Thanksgiving, however decided to wait until next year to pick one up. Although I would love to have a nice white FX4 in the driveway, I'm waiting to hear some reports back from the guys who ran into issues.

For the last six years I've been in my 02 F-250 diesel,but I'm about to take the plunge on one of these. I've noticed all of you have the short bed and am wondering how it handles a heavy boat. I've been leaning more toward the long bed for added stability, any thoughts on that?

Ok, now I am up to 21,000 miles. MInor problem around 16,000 miles, clunk at start & stop, took it to the dealer and they said it was short on grease at the slip yoke from the factory, added grease and it is like bradn new again, minus a rock chip on the hood Christmas Day and a rock chip in the windsheild yesterday. I gues it isn't new anymore :-(

Hmm...this issue is particularly relevant to me since I'm about to start truck shopping and the ecoboost is at the top of my wishlist. A new truck with some fixable flaws is one thing, but a truck that's having problems that can't be found or fixed is spooky. I would definitely like to know if they find/found a solution to the problems.

What about the idea that the little engine has to work so hard to create that kind of power that the internals will wear out long before the big V8? That is just my theory, but it makes sense. I saw the video where Ford abused the engine beyond what any of us would ever do and it still ran fine, but still. I am in the market for a new truck and I tend to keep a truck for 7-8 years, so the long term durability is a concern.

Just read through the whole thread, nice trucks! I'm in the market for an F-150 as well and am having the eco-boost vs V8 debate with myself. I'm curious to hear peoples opinions on the increased work load on a V6 vs V8.

When it comes down to it, what besides a slight increase in gas mileage are the advantages to the eco-boost?

According to the Ford sight the Eco adds $895. Based on my 20,000 mile/year driving and an increase of 2mpg with the Eco over the V8, it would take 2.5 years to realize any savings. Which actually isn't that bad considering...just want to know what other advantages the Eco adds.

Just read through the whole thread, nice trucks! I'm in the market for an F-150 as well and am having the eco-boost vs V8 debate with myself. I'm curious to hear peoples opinions on the increased work load on a V6 vs V8.

When it comes down to it, what besides a slight increase in gas mileage are the advantages to the eco-boost?

According to the Ford sight the Eco adds $895. Based on my 20,000 mile/year driving and an increase of 2mpg with the Eco over the V8, it would take 2.5 years to realize any savings. Which actually isn't that bad considering...just want to know what other advantages the Eco adds.

It depends on what V8 you would get instead of the Eco Boost. If you are looking at the 5.0 V8 it adds a significant amount of Horsepower and more importantly for boat owners a lot more torque. The torque on the Ecoboost is almost the same as my 2000 F250 with the 7.3 liter Powerstroke diesel- the ecoboost tows like a beast.

If you are looking at the 6.2 liter then you would get significantly better gas mileage but lose a little torque and Horsepower. The 6.2 is a more expensive upgrade than the ecoboost.

Thanks Kevin. So the question becomes is the added MPG's, torque & HP worth the risk of an unproven power train....?The "Eco-Boost problems" thread makes me hesitant to jump in with both feet. I'm getting out of a Tacoma because of never ending transmission problems and I'm hesitant to jump into a truck where I'll be a slave to powertrain issues. Anyone here experience any of the issues from the thread?

I went and drove one the other night, definitely has some ballz! As of right now, it did not "Wow" me enough to trade in my '07.5 duramax on one yet. I wasn't expecting the power to be the same but the rest of the truck wasn't there for me. I feel confident that it has the power that I was looking for though, definite home run on the power aspect!

Thanks Kevin. So the question becomes is the added MPG's, torque & HP worth the risk of an unproven power train....?The "Eco-Boost problems" thread makes me hesitant to jump in with both feet. I'm getting out of a Tacoma because of never ending transmission problems and I'm hesitant to jump into a truck where I'll be a slave to powertrain issues. Anyone here experience any of the issues from the thread?

Well the Ecoboost engine is not brand new, they originally put one in back in 08/09 into the Lincoln MKS, they then expanded it out from there.I believe it was also in the Taurus, back then it was not coined as the ECO-boost. 2011 was just the first year that they introduced the engine to the truck line. So with that being said I would say that they have a number of years with this engine, and I find a lot more positive than negative on the engine, since human nature is to focus on the negative I would say that is a great sign. Usually it is very easy to find write ups on the problems with any product, not so much the positive.

The other thing to consider is that all the engines in the F series line up starting in 2011 are new, the 5.0 is a different design, the 5.4 is gone, The Ecoboost is new and the 6.2 liter is a new platform.

I think the skepticism with the Ecoboost is that it is a new concept for trucks, almost seems to good to be true. I guess I will let you know if it is or not when I hit 100k.

I'm guessing Ford will do something similar to the ecoboost V-6 with the new 5.0 in the near future. If this happens I'd guess it will be well over 450/460 lb ft of torque....if they do and numbers like that come out of it, it would be hard to justify a diesel for me. It will be interesting to see what happens. Found this on line and based on it the ecoboost is very near mid 90s PSD numbers.

If you are looking at the 6.2 liter then you would get significantly better gas mileage but lose a little torque and Horsepower. The 6.2 is a more expensive upgrade than the ecoboost.

Yes and no, the 6.2 does make more horsepower a d torque but at significantly higher engine speed. I would say the Eco boost still toes better than this engine because they 420 ftlbs of torque on the ecoboost are there at 2500rpm, which is where the engine will be be normally while towing. The 6.2 makes like 435 torque at like 5000 rpm, a range very rarely seen and usually never seen for extended periods of time

Reading that thread full of mysterious issues would be enough to scare the poop out of me... reminds me of how everybody thought the 6.0L was the sh*t.... until it wasn't. Now you couldn't sell one if your life depended on it. Makes me wonder what Eco's resale value will be in 5 years once we know more.

Reading that thread full of mysterious issues would be enough to scare the poop out of me... reminds me of how everybody thought the 6.0L was the sh*t.... until it wasn't. Now you couldn't sell one if your life depended on it. Makes me wonder what Eco's resale value will be in 5 years once we know more.

From what I hear from everyone who owns a 6.0 if you replace the head bolts with studs and remove and override the EGR it is a pretty bullet proof motor

From what I hear from everyone who owns a 6.0 if you replace the head bolts with studs and remove and override the EGR it is a pretty bullet proof motor

That may be true. But you are missing the point.

If the market perception of a truck motor is bad, it doesn't matter what "the fix" is. Your resale value will be crap, and nobody will touch it with a 10' pole. The low prices, and glut of availability of the 6.0L Powerstrokes proves this.

Perception of the Ecoboost seems stong now. I hope it stays that way. All I'm saying is.... the issues thread linked above reminded me how fragile perception can be, and how fast it can change.

Yes and no, the 6.2 does make more horsepower a d torque but at significantly higher engine speed. I would say the Eco boost still toes better than this engine because they 420 ftlbs of torque on the ecoboost are there at 2500rpm, which is where the engine will be be normally while towing. The 6.2 makes like 435 torque at like 5000 rpm, a range very rarely seen and usually never seen for extended periods of time

Good point- For what it is worth I towed my X2 with tandem trailer about 32 miles through a lot of Hills this weekend and it performed better than I could have hoped. I barely felt the boat and the power while towing was impressive. The other interesting observation was that the engine was not working near as hard as I thought it would. I could climb hills without a lot of downshifting and the RPM's very rarely got over 2700.

Mine is the very first one in this thread.... larger tires, 2" level on the front and the topper with racks. Went from 19 to 14 with those mods. I can get 15.5 if I am driving 60 - 65 on the country roads.

I'm glad these trucks are working out for all the guys on this forum! Nothing like a nice truck dependably towing an awesome wake/ski boat! I'm looking forward to pulling with one of these when I purchase this spring. Although I have to say I'm hoping to hear some resolution for the guys who ran into issues on the other forum. And I'm jealous for those of you who picked up '11s, as the '12s don't look aesthetically pleasing to me. I strongly dislike the red piping on the seats, the red emblem, and the removable (thank God) stickers! At the end of the day, it seems they are great for daily drivers, and will tow with purpose.

I'm glad these trucks are working out for all the guys on this forum! Nothing like a nice truck dependably towing an awesome wake/ski boat! I'm looking forward to pulling with one of these when I purchase this spring. Although I have to say I'm hoping to hear some resolution for the guys who ran into issues on the other forum. And I'm jealous for those of you who picked up '11s, as the '12s don't look aesthetically pleasing to me. I strongly dislike the red piping on the seats, the red emblem, and the removable (thank God) stickers! At the end of the day, it seems they are great for daily drivers, and will tow with purpose.

My 12 does not have the piping, best I can tell there are no styling difference between the 11 and 12 platinum F-150. However one of the best things about my 12 is that I was able to get a 36 gallon fuel tank.

The 12's also have AWD on upscale models in addition to 4wd. This is a big benefit to those of us who spend a lot of time in mixed ice/snow conditions. I had an 11 order canceled due to not being able to get navi on my pick of truck, and I'm waiting on my order for 2012 model - excited to tow this year as last year I was towing with a honda ridgeline right at max tow capacity and it was definitely working too hard on hills for my comfort (but did pull out of the boat ramp with ease).

Thanks Kevin. So the question becomes is the added MPG's, torque & HP worth the risk of an unproven power train....?The "Eco-Boost problems" thread makes me hesitant to jump in with both feet. I'm getting out of a Tacoma because of never ending transmission problems and I'm hesitant to jump into a truck where I'll be a slave to powertrain issues. Anyone here experience any of the issues from the thread?

Congrats! I backed out of my deal...was looking at the same truck as you. With sunroof, nav, sony stereo and the 20" wheels it was ~$41k after rebates and discounts on a $49k sticker.

Thanks! I left out those upgrades but they threw in a spray in bed liner. Here she is. LOVE the all blacked out look. Can't wait to get the Orange SANTE 210 behind it. The black stripe on the boat will really tie it together.

Explain this to me - I went in and said I am eligible for X-plan and he said we believe you, no need to have your paperwork or anything, we will just sell to you for invoice and save ourselves the paperwork hassle. Why would they do that? Is there a kickback for you guys that you don't get if you file the x-plan paperwork? Sorry to hijack this thread...

when i bought my 2011 it was invoice less 3% MA (marketing and advertizing) then a $3000 rebate from ford. There is always 3% for the dealer below invoice. so 40k sticker, there is still 1200 bucks below invoice. if you walk in the door and tell the dealer you will purchase today for invoice, they will right the deal. hope this helps

Here's my new baby! I havent been ont the forum in forever and decided I should re-enter with my fresh new girl. Got her about two or three weeks ago. Only have about 350mi on her but loving every mile so far. Pulls like a champ and sure as hell has some go juice! I decided to go with the long bed as I have dirtbikes and figure I could use the extra foot. Also I think the shorty looks a little stubby to me (no offense to those with the shorty, just personal preference).

I have towed a bunch of boats with it so far, but this past Monday I pulled a heavy enclosed snowmobile trailer over Berthoud Pass (11,300 ft) at full speed without ever dropping below 4th gear and rpm's under 3k. It had plenty more power too.

These things are selling really well. I have counted 3 that have been through my dealership so far today. Everyone seems to love them.

Nice truck Colin. Love that you got the longer bed and love the white. If I got an ecoboost or other new F150 I would get the exact one you did, then would add nice matching canopy and maybe put a leveling lift and slightly bigger tires. Did you buy it from Hate? You bought a Saleen from him a couple years ago didn't you? Good to see you are still alive. It has a been a couple years since you posted. Still got the Epic?

Thanks man, yeah I plan on doin a 6" with 20's and 35's eventually, as well as some other things here and there. I actually bought it from a dealership here in missoula. Expected arrival was november 10th and it didnt show up until January22nd I guess it made it that much sweeter though. Yeah you're right about the saleen, its my Dad's though. So is this truck but he lets me use it at school. The epic is still around, of course. We love that boat to death. She's been couped up all winter though. Cant wait to get her back out in late spring.

Explain this to me - I went in and said I am eligible for X-plan and he said we believe you, no need to have your paperwork or anything, we will just sell to you for invoice and save ourselves the paperwork hassle. Why would they do that? Is there a kickback for you guys that you don't get if you file the x-plan paperwork? Sorry to hijack this thread...

Timmy- I have bought a number of vehicles with the Xplan. What your dealer is saying does not make sense- my radar goes off a little bit. Per ford here is what should happen with the X plan. You go to the partner website and generate a Pin for the vehicle you want. You take that Pin to the dealer when you find the vehicle you want. they print the Xplan pricing info from the ford website on that specific vehicle. The X plan is Invoice minus all factory rebates that apply. then ford pays a commision to the sales rep at the delaer.

X plan has always proved to be a significant difference for me. On my current truck here is how it broke down.

MSRP- 51,188
X Plan price- 47,100
Rebates- 8,000

Final price was about 39k.

that was on a fully loaded 4 wheel drive platinum with Ecoboost. Without X plan another buyer paid about 3k more for the truck or roughly 2.5%.

Just my two cents. You could always price one truck at a delaer with X plan and the same truck at a dealer without. I have done that before and the X plan was always favorable.

I used the XPlan website and had my pin number and everything. The price they gave me matched the website as far as the Xplan price but there weren't $8k in rebates after the xplan price, only $2,500 to $3,500 depending on whether or not you financed through Ford or not. Just wasn't sure why they didn't want to use my paperwork. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what all rebates are available with Ford.

When I bought mine, it was my first new Ford and did not know about all of this X-Plan stuff. I found the truck I wanted online and requested a quote. My MSRP was $44, 460 and was quoted $36k and change. I negotiated a Line-X bed liner and it was done deal.

I came close at Thanksgiving, however decided to wait until next year to pick one up. Although I would love to have a nice white FX4 in the driveway, I'm waiting to hear some reports back from the guys who ran into issues.

Frustrated and pissed off to say, YES I am experiencing these problems now. 4200 miles on my ecoboost. There is an obvious shudder when accelerating up hill in 6th gear. Bringing it to the dealer tomorrow. There is supposedly a TSP out that somewhat resolves the issue.

I am not looking to buy a truck but had some questions. What are the maintanance cost differences between the 5.0L and the EB? Some mentioned in teh tundra vs EB thread that the waterpump change was really expensive on the Eco while not on the tundra. Is the water pump change cheaper on the 5.0L like the tundra? What are the costs of turbos going out? There isn't just 1 but 2 on the EB to go bad. None on the 5.0L. Is there any part of the maintanence that should be cheaper or have to do less of on the EB then the 5.0L? I know nothing about the current 5.0L but is it basically the same or a similar engine to the late 80's/early 90's 5.0L? If so that was a pretty damn good engine if I recall although I have no personal experience with it. I know the ecoboost has more power and what appears to be better MPG although it is pretty close. For those that doesn't need the extra power(probably 90% of those that think they do) is the 5.0L a better choice from a cost of ownership stand point? The 5.0L is cheaper right off the bat looking at MSRP and it seems like the EB is so popular one could probably get a better discount on a 5.0L then ecoboost. What is the cost difference between 2 identical trucks that have the 2 different motors? Can you get the 5.0L for 3-5 grand less then the EB? If so I don't get what seems to be a huge disparity in popularity between the 2 motors. Any MPG savings could potentially be wiped out by increased maintanance and general work on the engine. Also, it seems like if you could get a 5.0L for a few thousand less you could slap on a K/N CAI and cat back exhaust and increase the pulling power, speed, MPG all in one and still pay less then the EB.

Please take this as more of questions then facts. As far as I know the ecoboost could be cheaper to fix and have less problems then the 5.0L?

No difference in maintenace costs. I don't know anything about this water pump business. If turbos go out then they are expensive however, these are very differen tfrom the turbos of the past that were oil cooled. These are water cooled so as not to coke and the water continues to circulate after the motor is shut off. The new 5.0 is very different that the past model. The 5.0 is less expensive on a couple points 1.) the Eco is $1100 more and 2.) very frequently Ford has offered a 5.0 discount of $500-$1000 and yes dealers are being more aggressive with them.

my guess with the water pump issue is that the ecoboost uses an electric water pump instead of a belt driven one to save on fuel mileage and keep coolant going to the turbos after the engine has shut off.

it seems that all vehicles will slowly be going to the electric style water pump to save on fuel to meet govt fuel economy requirements

After one failed and one "built same" but ended up different, dealer swap... we finally got our '12 F150 Eco-boost FX4. It has max tailer package equaling 11.3K lbs towing capacity and trailering mirrors (I'm ok with, especially after towing). We've Linex'd the bed, tinted the front door windows, and have a Leer hard tonneau on order (shop loaned us TRIFECTA cover in pix for trip).

The first round trip tow of ~500miles I was amazed. I was concerned (coming from a 6.0L diesel) that I'd have to be a right-laner and watch everyone pass me without flogging the 3.5L on longer uphill grades. That was not the case at all! The motor/tranny would find its sweet-spot and pull all day long...even in +100deg heat...which the trailer tires could not handle (lost 2).

~19mpg highway and 11mpg towing (should improve) is not far off from the 6.0L Excursion.

After one failed and one "built same" but ended up different, dealer swap... we finally got our '12 F150 Eco-boost FX4. It has max tailer package equaling 11.3K lbs towing capacity and trailering mirrors (I'm ok with, especially after towing). We've Linex'd the bed, tinted the front door windows, and have a Leer hard tonneau on order (shop loaned us TRIFECTA cover in pix for trip).

The first round trip tow of ~500miles I was amazed. I was concerned (coming from a 6.0L diesel) that I'd have to be a right-laner and watch everyone pass me without flogging the 3.5L on longer uphill grades. That was not the case at all! The motor/tranny would find its sweet-spot and pull all day long...even in +100deg heat...which the trailer tires could not handle (lost 2).

~19mpg highway and 11mpg towing (should improve) is not far off from the 6.0L Excursion.

I'm lovin' it...

Throw that 205v on a tandem trailer and that might be my dream setup. Always have and always will love your 205V. My god it is beautiful. Clean, classic, timeless, etc.. Definately a gentlemen's choice.

Patrick. Yes it is Norris. I couldn't have asked for better performance out of the truck. With that said, we get off at Corbin, KY so we don't do Jelico. I have little doubt the truck would have had any problems.

Bret. Thanks for the kind words. We feel the same. And...spring of '13 we'll put a tandem trailer under her. Most likely a BoatMate.

The wife's 2003 Tahoe is due for a replacement. We rented a Explorer last week for our vacation in Canada and she liked it. I didn't think it had enough power to satisfy me but I learned the 2013 Explorer Sport is available with the V6 Ecoboost. This will most likely be her next vehicle. Anybody know when these 2013's will be available?

Hate, Can I order one from you and bring it into California? Local dealer told me they will be in the lot sometime in October. I want to drive one before placing the order. If the sport suspension is too stiff the wife will hate it, she liked the XLT drive, need to make sure the sport is also acceptable.

I just did a little looking, seeing why people are going the EcoBoost route instead of a diesel. If you have to have a Ford truck I get it...the price difference gets pretty crazy for equal mid-optioned trucks (Lariats in this case), which is about a 12k difference in price. I also optioned a diesel Sierra 2500 equally, and at a 7k price difference I think resale alone would warrant going that route over the EcoBoost; diesels - regardless of brand - hold their value better than gassers.

Now a 2 year old EcoBoost would probably be a pretty good deal after someone eats that initial depreciation.

when i bought mine a year ago, the ecoboost was cheaper than a Tundra and the duramax. It is only like a $800 upgrade from the 5.0. Ford offered zero financing, a better interior and a bigger cab - similar to the Tundra. When you look at the pictures, the cab looks about the same size as the silverado or duramax, but is much bigger. Chevy has not changed the interior since 2004 which is when I bought my last Silverado. I really liked the truck but I like this one much better. More power, torque and I got 24 mpg on the highway before adding the new tires. I am not sure that you can compare an ecoboost to a diesel but the ecoobost pulls really well or comparable. I am not a mechanic but it is my understanding that the diesels today, with all of the smog equipment, are greatly under powered and tend to have more maintenance/mechanical issues as a result, regardless of the brand. For me, it seemed like a no brainer.

^ Chevy upgraded body/interior in like 08... I know Ford went fresh in 09? My point was people can compare the towing prowess to a diesel, but these trucks are competing against 1500s, if they smoke the competition, then that's why ppl buy em.